Overcoming Our Self-Imposed Limitations To Develop Creative Solutions
A common challenge when trying to improve at something is that we place conditions on what we'll do to improve.
We see limited options (or even only one choice) for overcoming an obstacle because we 𝘢𝘶𝘵𝘰𝘮𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘤𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘺 𝘳𝘶𝘭𝘦𝘥 𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘦𝘭𝘴𝘦.
A chess example would be assuming that we have to play very forcefully against weaker players for fear that they will 𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘤𝘦 𝘢 𝘥𝘳𝘢𝘸 𝘪𝘧 𝘸𝘦 𝘥𝘰𝘯'𝘵. But what if we explore other strategies?
A poker example would be that we must master GTO as soon as possible because we're 𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘳𝘪𝘧𝘪𝘦𝘥 𝘰𝘧 𝘨𝘦𝘵𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘦𝘹𝘱𝘭𝘰𝘪𝘵𝘦𝘥 if we don't.
Watching some scenes from The Godfather led to further reflections. 𝘚𝘢𝘺𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘳𝘰𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘳𝘰𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘪𝘮𝘦 (giving away critical information) severely limits one's options, usually with fatal consequences. (such as when Sonny interjected in Don Vito's meeting with Sollozzo).
How can we discover new alternatives?
I'll share three personal examples from this month before sharing a blueprint to follow:
𝐄𝐱𝐚𝐦𝐩𝐥𝐞 𝟏: I was starting to play more online chess and wasn't sure what openings to play as Black. Damiano Petroff tempted me, but I was concerned that my opponents might 𝘬𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘨𝘢𝘮𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘮𝘢𝘬𝘦 𝘢𝘯 𝘦𝘢𝘴𝘺 𝘥𝘳𝘢𝘸.
Rather than believing this assumption, I tested it and found that my opponents were utterly unprepared for Damiano Petroff, as reflected in my excellent results.
𝐄𝐱𝐚𝐦𝐩𝐥𝐞 𝟐: After recording a YouTube series on the Stonewall Dutch for Black, I considered playing it in some online games. But it had been my 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘴𝘵-𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘮𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘴𝘺𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘮 as Black, as a professional player.
I could have stopped there and said, 'It doesn't suit my style at all'. Instead, I tested the assumption and found that my new approach of focusing more on analysing many master games in my videos made me feel much more comfortable in the Stonewall as Black (and playing it much better than before).
That feeling of 𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐚𝐧 𝐨𝐥𝐝 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐬𝐢𝐠𝐧𝐢𝐟𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐧𝐭 𝐰𝐞𝐚𝐤𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐬 𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐨 𝐚 𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐠𝐭𝐡 is priceless, and it's one of the reasons why students find lessons with me so transformative and valuable.
𝐄𝐱𝐚𝐦𝐩𝐥𝐞 𝟑: While in Vietnam, I was reflecting on how much I wanted to go to the poker tours in Australia. While the highlight is, of course, playing poker, there are also many other significant aspects of the tours:
- Having a holiday of sorts;
- Meeting a lot of other poker players and making new friends;
- Allowing yourself to make a lot of money by outplaying your opponents;
- Feeling your game improve significantly by learning from your experiences
When I played many of these tours in the first half of 2023, I sometimes thought, 'The dealers are making more money than 90-95% of us players.'
Yesterday, it dawned on me - 𝐰𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐢𝐟 𝐈 𝐛𝐞𝐜𝐚𝐦𝐞 𝐚 𝐝𝐞𝐚𝐥𝐞𝐫?
It's a way to attend poker tours, get paid to observe the player pool very closely, and participate in a tour without risking my entire bankroll on one series. I may play better in a series, knowing that the entry fees for the first half are covered by the wages from dealing in the second half.
I would have previously rejected the idea because I was so wrapped up in my identity as an 'entrepreneur' that 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘢𝘯𝘺𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘦𝘭𝘴𝘦 𝘸𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘴𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘦𝘭𝘺 𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘵𝘳𝘪𝘤𝘵 𝘮𝘺 𝘧𝘳𝘦𝘦𝘥𝘰𝘮.
But with a simple reframing, we can see how working for someone else can 𝐒𝐔𝐏𝐏𝐎𝐑𝐓 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐟𝐫𝐞𝐞𝐝𝐨𝐦 𝐭𝐨 𝐝𝐨 𝐬𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐰𝐞 𝐰𝐚𝐧𝐭 𝐬𝐨𝐨𝐧𝐞𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐧 𝐨𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐰𝐢𝐬𝐞.
Before I go through my framework below for overcoming the limitations we put on ourselves to generate new (and often better) solutions to problems, I would like you to write in the comments below: w𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐢𝐧𝐬𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭𝐬 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐠𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐧𝐞𝐝 𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝐦𝐲 𝐭𝐡𝐫𝐞𝐞 𝐞𝐱𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞𝐬.
This Socratic method will help you absorb the insights much more powerfully. You'll give yourself credit for the things you picked up on, making them much more a part of who you are. And for the things you didn't consider, they will especially stand out to you as areas to incorporate and focus on.
In any case, here is my 𝐟𝐫𝐚𝐦𝐞𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐤 for 𝐠𝐞𝐧𝐞𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐛𝐞𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐬𝐨𝐥𝐮𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬 𝐰𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐚𝐩𝐩𝐞𝐚𝐫 𝐭𝐨 𝐛𝐞 𝐟𝐞𝐰/𝐧𝐨𝐧𝐞:
𝟏. 𝐑𝐞𝐜𝐨𝐠𝐧𝐢𝐳𝐞 𝐀𝐧𝐝 𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐧𝐠𝐞 𝐋𝐢𝐦𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐁𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐞𝐟𝐬
Before we can overcome our perceived limitations, we must recognise them.
Some general examples of such beliefs:
- '𝘐 𝘤𝘢𝘯'𝘵 𝘥𝘰 𝘪𝘵.'
- '𝘐'𝘮 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘨𝘰𝘰𝘥 𝘦𝘯𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩.'
- '𝘐'𝘮 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘢 𝘤𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘷𝘦 𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘰𝘯.'
We should question such beliefs to determine whether they are based on evidence or assumptions.
Even better, we can (in the style of Tim Ferriss) be our own scientist/guinea pig, 𝐫𝐮𝐧𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐞𝐱𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐬 𝐭𝐨 𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐟𝐲 𝐨𝐫 𝐝𝐢𝐬𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐯𝐞 𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐧𝐨𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬.
𝟐. 𝐂𝐮𝐥𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐀 𝐆𝐫𝐨𝐰𝐭𝐡 𝐌𝐢𝐧𝐝𝐬𝐞𝐭
Funnily enough, a growth mindset is such an automatic part of who I am that I often need to remember it's not as automatic for others.
Suppose you see your skills as 𝘧𝘪𝘹𝘦𝘥 or need more agency to achieve your goals. In that case, consider the metaphor of life as a video or computer game—where we have 𝐯𝐚𝐫𝐢𝐨𝐮𝐬 𝐥𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐥𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐰𝐞 𝐜𝐚𝐧 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐮𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐲 𝐢𝐦𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐯𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡 𝐝𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐛𝐞𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐩𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐜𝐞.
If your energy bar is low, level up your sleep, exercise and diet.
If you know your influence level is relatively low, read a classic book (like 'How To Win Friends And Influence People') and practice one new technique from the book daily or weekly.
The High-Performance Coaching process will be even more effective in helping you discover your solutions, but that's a topic for another time.
𝟑. 𝐅𝐨𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐀𝐧 𝐄𝐧𝐯𝐢𝐫𝐨𝐧𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐎𝐟 𝐂𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐢𝐭𝐲
The environment in which we work significantly impacts our creative output. I found that I got a lot more done in Vietnam than in Sydney simply because the air conditioning in Vietnam makes it much easier to stay focused and avoid distractions.
When you 𝐬𝐞𝐭 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐞𝐧𝐯𝐢𝐫𝐨𝐧𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐮𝐩 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐬𝐮𝐜𝐜𝐞𝐬𝐬, doing what you must do daily is much easier.
This environment is not limited to a physical environment. This also includes having a solid mental headspace (where we aren't cluttered with external news or drama, and when we use social media, we've already primed it for success/skill development).
Our beliefs are also shaped by the people we spend the most time with. If you suddenly become very d𝘪𝘴𝘤𝘰𝘶𝘳𝘢𝘨𝘦𝘥, 𝘤𝘺𝘯𝘪𝘤𝘢𝘭 𝘰𝘳 𝘥𝘰𝘶𝘣𝘵𝘧𝘶𝘭, observe what has recently changed that may have contributed to such a shift.
𝟒. 𝐏𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐜𝐞 𝐑𝐞𝐠𝐮𝐥𝐚𝐫 𝐑𝐞𝐟𝐥𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐀𝐧𝐝 𝐌𝐢𝐧𝐝𝐟𝐮𝐥𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐬
The power of reflection and mindfulness practices is that we become very keenly aware of our thoughts. This greater awareness leads to us seeing self-doubt and fear for what they are rather than getting all wrapped up in them.
Furthermore, when we know the 𝘵𝘳𝘪𝘨𝘨𝘦𝘳𝘴 that leads to those unsupportive habits or thought processes, we can prime ourselves for success by 𝐚𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐜𝐢𝐩𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐦 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐡𝐨𝐰 𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐢𝐝𝐞𝐚𝐥 𝐬𝐞𝐥𝐟 𝐰𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝 𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐩𝐨𝐧𝐝.
𝟓. 𝐄𝐦𝐛𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐞 𝐅𝐚𝐢𝐥𝐮𝐫𝐞 𝐀𝐬 𝐀 𝐋𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐎𝐩𝐩𝐨𝐫𝐭𝐮𝐧𝐢𝐭𝐲
Sometimes, what limits our options is simply a 𝘧𝘦𝘢𝘳 𝘰𝘧 𝘧𝘢𝘪𝘭𝘶𝘳𝘦. At the same time, every massively successful person (in any field) had to face many obstacles (and initially fail to overcome them) to get to where they are now. We can use the video game metaphor again - they had to defeat a new, stronger boss to unlock the greater rewards on the other side.
If you keep asking yourself, '𝗪𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐜𝐚𝐧 𝐈 𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐧 𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬?' and using failures as feedback/learning rather than a bitter disappointment, you will become more resilient and enjoy tackling a problem far more. You may even start to recognise that 𝐢𝐬𝐬𝐮𝐞𝐬 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐢𝐧 𝐟𝐚𝐜𝐭,𝐨𝐩𝐩𝐨𝐫𝐭𝐮𝐧𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐞𝐬 𝐢𝐧 𝐝𝐢𝐬𝐠𝐮𝐢𝐬𝐞.
𝟔. 𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐮𝐨𝐮𝐬𝐥𝐲 𝐒𝐞𝐞𝐤 𝐊𝐧𝐨𝐰𝐥𝐞𝐝𝐠𝐞 𝐀𝐧𝐝 𝐈𝐧𝐬𝐩𝐢𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧
This post is a good example - we saw examples from chess, poker, The Godfather and even computer games to understand different problem-solving perspectives.
We can often 𝐩𝐢𝐜𝐤 𝐮𝐩 𝐠𝐨𝐨𝐝 𝐢𝐝𝐞𝐚𝐬 𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝐨𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐟𝐢𝐞𝐥𝐝𝐬, and continuing to research different topics and sub-topics will fill our heads with new ideas.
For example, I continue to read the Lichess blogs to stay current with new and exciting ideas in chess improvement theory.
Studying poker training materials from different coaches has allowed me to incorporate some of their teaching methods into my coaching, making my lessons far more engaging, practical and instructive.
Now it's your turn!
𝗪𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐢𝐬 𝐚 𝐬𝐢𝐠𝐧𝐢𝐟𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐧𝐭 𝐢𝐧𝐬𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐠𝐨𝐭 𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐩𝐨𝐬𝐭?
